Jerome Short

Dr. Jerome Short, Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason University, is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in mental health promotion and psychological disorder prevention for college students and older adults. He has taught over 200 course sections to 4,000+ students and chaired 25 completed dissertations.

• Ph.D. from Arizona State University
• Co-Principal Investigator for Mason Health Starts Here longitudinal study
• Coordinates DC-area clinical psychology externships

His research interests focus on: well-being, exercise, sleep, social support, self-compassion, mental health apps, and help-seeking behavior. Through the Psychological Fitness Lab, he develops daily exercises (BEST: Behavioral, Emotional, Social, and Thoughtful) targeting seven domains (TIMBERS: Thinking, Identity, Morality, Behaviors, Emotions, Relationships, Sexuality). These interventions demonstrate improved life satisfaction, reduced anxiety/depression, and enhanced social support.

Recent scientific work spans psychology, public health, and sports science, analyzing topics like social media's mental health impacts (2025), pandemic dental care patterns (2025), and longitudinal health behaviors (2021-2012). He received the 2018 Outstanding Undergraduate Faculty Award from Mason's Psychology Department.

• Key supervised students: Eleanor Speidel, Beth Foote, Thomas Deakin, Diane Lameira, David Disabato, Kyla Machell
• Current research projects: Daily Experience Sampling Study, Mason Health Starts Here, Help-seeking Predictors, Mobile App Evaluation